Pueblo Indian culture has flourished in the American Southwest for thousands of years.

Who are the Pueblo Indians?

Pueblo people today.

Pueblo Indians are American Indians who live in pueblos and have a long tradition of farming.

Pueblo Indians who lived long ago are sometimes called the "ancestral Pueblo" because they are the ancestors of today's Pueblo people. Another name for the ancestral Pueblo people is Anasazi.

In this history, we use "Pueblo people" or "Pueblo Indians" to talk about all Pueblo people throughout history, including those who lived long ago.

A pueblo where Pueblo Indians live today.

What is a pueblo?

Pueblo is the Spanish word for "village" or "town."

In the Southwest, a pueblo is a settlement that has houses made of stone, adobe, and wood. The houses have flat roofs and can be one or more stories tall.

Pueblo people have lived in this style of building for more than 1,000 years.

Where did the Pueblo Indians come from?

Good question! That's what this history for kids is all about. We travel thousands of years back in time to explore the beginnings of Pueblo culture in a part of the Southwest called the Mesa Verde region.

The Mesa Verde region is located in the Four Corners area of the Southwest. It is called the "Four Corners" because it is the only place in the United States where the corners of four states meet: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Move your mouse over the map to see where the Mesa Verde region is located in the United States.

The Mesa Verde region is named after Mesa Verde, a large mesa that towers above the surrounding landscape. A large part of the mesa is included in Mesa Verde National Park, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year.

How do we learn about the past?

One way we learn about the past is through written histories. But much of Pueblo history took place before there were written records. So, one way we learn about ancient Pueblo history is through archaeology.

An archaeological site in the
Mesa Verde region.

At this archaeological site,
the buildings have fallen down.

Archaeology is the study of past cultures.

Thousands of archaeological sites are located throughout the Mesa Verde region. Most of them are ancient Pueblo sites. But there are also sites created by other people who lived in the region before and after the Pueblo people.

Archaeologists have studied thousands of ancient Pueblo sites in the Mesa Verde region. They have learned much about Pueblo history and culture by analyzing the artifacts and architecture they have found at archaeological sites.

A Pueblo couple standing in front of their home.

Another source of information about Pueblo history and culture is Pueblo Indians themselves. Archaeologists at Crow Canyon work with Pueblo Indians who are the descendants of the people who once lived in the Mesa Verde region. Pueblo Indian oral histories provide many clues about life in the past.

Get Ready to Travel Back in Time!

This history tells the story of how Pueblo Indian culture developed in the Mesa Verde region. It also explains where the Pueblo people went when they left the region and where they live now.

Finally, the history talks about how archaeological sites are important to Pueblo people today—and why everyone should treat sites with respect.